Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) has completed the recovery and reconstruction of the Cape Mainline, following severe storm damage and major washaways in the Western Cape.
“The reopening of the Cape Mainline reinforces TRIM’s commitment to maintaining a safe, reliable and resilient rail network and responding decisively to infrastructure disruptions caused by extreme weather,” said TRIM Chief Executive Moshe Motlohi in a statement on Friday.
Heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding on 11 and 12 May caused extensive damage to railway infrastructure, including five locations in the Worcester area and two washaways at Leeu-Gamka in the Karoo region.
As a result, sections of the line were closed for more than two months.
TRIM said it rapidly mobilised internal teams and external stakeholders to restore the railway safely and minimise disruption to rail operations.
The recovery involved rebuilding washed-away track formations and supporting infrastructure, reinstating track structures and overhead equipment, and replacing mast poles damaged by the storms.
On 31 July 2026, the Cape Mainline reopened to diesel-hauled trains, and in August 2026 the line was fully reopened for electric trains after the completion and commissioning of the reinstated overhead track equipment. -SAnews.gov.za
